KLN

I disagree. We're not living in the old world of black and white, all good and all evil. Complexity IS broad for today's audience. But telling me to let it go while not being open to changes yourself shows you're married to the nostalgia. I was an ED stan for years. I let it go. I've come back to the show with fresh eyes and I like what I like. I'm not faulting anyone for having their own preferences though. I like him, genuinely. He's upped his game as an actor and he's unique as Lucas, hard to replace like others said. But I don't think he'll ever get lead story because closet case Corday doesn't view him as someone to lust after.

What? No. There's tons of story potential with those kids grown. Don't get caught up in who wins endgame. Just enjoy the ride.

Valid points. I just don't think the show will use Lucas in any significant way with Bryan in the role. It's a show problem like you said. But I'd rather they use Lucas than not and I'm not as married to original actors being in the roles as I used to be. With the success of the Peacock specials, streaming #'s, the renewed creative effort being put into the show, the foundation laid as it is and the world returning to comfort because everything else is a mess, I think there's potential for soaps (or at least Days) to have a bit of a creative resurgence, even if only to promote other entrepreneurial platforms like soaps were originally intended. To sell soap. But they need broad appeal. I was ED/Kristen's #1 fan and told the show to sit and spin when they recast with Stacy even though I wasn't watching or following at the time. Now I'm caught up and think she was born for the role. I also love the rotation of Kate and Marci. I actually think they should make it a feature of the show where they rotate two actors for one role. Not everyone, but maybe two or three characters. I jumped right back in after not watching or following for several years and it hasn't been a problem for me at all. I actually enjoy watching different actors give different takes. I'm just not married to the nostalgia like I used to be. But I know what appeals to me coming back with fresh eyes.

Ron did an interview on a podcast a few months ago where he said it was daunting to take on the possession until he realized he had to look at it like the devil was "just another villain" or something to that effect. That was his first mistake. Imaginative as hell but campy and not my taste.

I get it. I agree. But the writers never saw him that way, unfortunately.

I can't watch it. Not only has it missed the mark tonally, it's so self-referencing and indulgent that it takes me right out of it. There was so much potential and Ron saw the whole thing as a joke. Imaginative as hell but unwatchable. He needs someone like Sheri to guide the taste.

100%. Sami and EJ have children and history so it makes sense to tangle them but the characters never made sense together in the first place. It was very "throw something at the wall and see what sticks" and it stuck. Kinda. But Sami lost her essence. Putting Sami with EJ messed up everything that made her popular in the first place. They lost who she was. Then James left, the sacrifice was for nothing and with Dan as EJ he's too magic with too many other people. I wish they would make Lucas a legitimate option for Sami but they never will and I think it's because Bryan doesn't scream romantic lead. He's cute and charismaric but not a "hunk" and Lucas has languished forever as a result, but he has use.

😄😄😄 He has his tics but I think he'd have great chemistry with Ali. Lucas needs to be perceived as a romantic lead because EJ and Nicole are taking off. Sami/EJ are an option for story but Sami became a knockoff Carly Corinthos once they paired her with EJ. She became "the prize" and lost all the insecurity that drove her as a character prior to that point. Lucas grounds her but I think they need to shake it up. Days should experment a little with casting. Kate/Marci, Stacy/Eileen and others have proven how different actors bring fresh energy, keep the actors engaged, keep the viewers on their toes and generally stimulate interest in watching. After tuning out for 8 years and coming back with a fresh perspective that's the kind of stuff I notice. Also, the actors don't have multi-year contracts anymore so it lends itself to the model. You wouldn't buy Billy as Kate's son? Troubled alcoholic black sheep Horton, brother to Austin and Billie? I think he'd have good chemistry with Ali and Chandler too. They could still use Bryan, either rotate him or use him in creative ways like Eileen. He also needs a haircut. Lucas is a workable piece of the canvas but Bryan not being a typical romantic lead makes it hard to use him in effective ways, I think. Damn! You guys really hate Billy Miller. 😄😄 I agree about Phillip. Nevermind the hair, he needs a whole new actor. JKJ plays mental break like a toddler throwing a tantrum.

They should recast Lucas with Billy Miller.

I don't know if Days counts because it's still on the air and currently on a creative upswing, but prior to this I'd have ended it with ED's last episode in 1998. After a decade of Stefano DiMera, the devil, Jim Reilly, big gothic romance, OG Kristen, years of torment for J&M and the last truly great artistic period of the show, it ended with Kristen and that guttural scream in the cell. Once Sally Sussman Morina took over it became more of a Reilly imitation with no throughline vision. Ratings tanked and I was bored to tears by '99. After Kristen disappeared, J&M shifted to side front, Reilly focused on his own show, Stefano switched his focus to Hope/Gina and they pretended Kristen never existed. Then they brought on Salem High, more teen-oriented stories and the show really switched to something other than what I'd originally fallen in love with.

I knew Eileen was with Jon at the time and I knew it was her idea to play Susan but I didn't know the inspiration was Ryan/Kevin. That's awesome! To think that spark of an idea led to the canon that is Susan Banks is amazing. I'm glad they finally listened and brought Kristen back in 2012. I shouted it from the rooftops for 15 years and look how much story she's generated since coming back. When I stopped posting in 2008 she was still a character they still wouldn't mention. They basically erased her when Eileen left a hole in the show. They tried to find spark for everyone she drove story for but nothing else compared. The answer was always Kristen. I always saw the value in a character so central and volatile. She's a one woman story factory, everything a soap wants you to feel in a kaleidoscope of colors. But I prefer Stacy Haiduk.

That's perfect! I'd like to go on the record and say I never liked JKJ. Even when he replaced Brandon Tyler in December of '99 and everyone loved him and I was like... nah. Stiff actor, no charisma, only mildly attractive. I never bought him as Kate and Victor's son and I always wished they would retool the him the way he should've been conceived from the start. With his origin story you mean to tell me Phillip Kiriakis doesn't have issues? They're finally giving him interest but we're stuck with JKJ who's worse than ever. Zero charisma and I've seen better acting in 4th grade plays.

That's interesting. I know people are bitching about what they're doing to Phillip but I love it. He's finally interesting to me. I just wish they'd recast. JKJ hasn't aged well and his acting is worse than ever. I think Thad Luckinbill would have good chemistry with Nadia.

I love Jan. She's a cartoon but she has a unique style of crazy. A flavor all her own. I think I'll love it if Jan (as Belle) has sex with Shawn and ends up pregnant. How soapy and twisted. Gives me shades of OLTL's Mad Margaret. Shawn and Belle need a viable villain so it would be smart to give her a baby. Wasn't she pregnant in 2001? Seems like I remember her falling down the stairs at Bo and Hope's house and losing the baby or something.

I think Steve Burton has a bit of toxic masculinity. He presents as peaceful but he bulked up like he's ready for a fight and some of his personal views are questionable to me. The anti-vaxx stuff, chumming with Tucker Carlson, looking like he's high on roids all the time. He seems angry, I hope he can let it go because he seems like an alright guy outside of that stuff. I don't think he's attractive at all anymore. He was never my type but I could see why others thought he was hot. Now? He looks buff and malnourished at the same time. It's weird.

John and Kristen are yesterday's news. Somebody's got to show Ron the Sign. 😄😄

😄😄 I need her to never leave. (But only play Marlena.)

I can't believe its been 20 years! I was a SON OG in 2001. I left in 2008 and stopped watching in 2015 but I jumped back in and it's been fun! Some of you knew me as Kenny. I had a tendency to be an a-hole back in the day. Still am but I've learned to at least attempt patience now. 😄😄 I was 17 the day SON opened and I burnt this board up for years. Even though I haven't posted in ages I've always had a soft spot and I'm happy it's still here. I'm 37 now. Older, hopefully wiser and a little more mature. @Toups and @Errol deserve accolades for giving SON legitimacy and longevity. They made SON a trusted source and kept it going more than two decades. Plus it has the most encyclopedic and knowledgeable soap forum on the web. It used to amuse me how people would register accounts thinking we were SOAPnet and we'd have to explain nope... we were first and we're better. 😄 SON outlived even that. That's something to be proud of. Congratulations guys! Memories! ❤ I feel the same.

Kristen and Brady work because she's a cougar and he's a DILF with equal sex appeal. Add their addictions and disorders and you've got a great, sexy 'anti'-couple. Kristen and John are about as exciting as my 1994 Ace of Base record. Drake and Eileen have chemistry but they're not the story, never were. Just like you said. Ron needs help. He's on the right track, he has the right sensibilities. The show has the elements to have a creative resurgence and he fits it very well. But he needs someone to guide him from the pitfalls. Also, yes, family members watching each other strip in the public square was weird. Did no one think of that before they filmed the scene? You can push the envelope and still be tasteful. Stuff like that is why Ron needs a co-HW. Someone to ground the indulgent stuff.

Jasmine crossed my mind but I think I've settled on Michael Michele for my wishful Lexie. I love Jasmine though! I love the Nurse Lynn idea. She was a great diabolical sidekick for Kristen and Marie Alise Recasner was great! They expanded her into other stories, at one point she was a foil for Sami, but Nurse Lynn should've always been a bigger character. Her and Lexie going to med school together is a great idea! 😄😄

Thanks! I appreciate that. I went through some personal stuff and quit watching for a while but I picked it back up in May. It's been a revelation how good Stacy is. Anyone who knows me knows I'm an OG Kristen stan and I love Stacy. Best recast I could've picked. The show is good right now minus the possession story. I had high hopes and it's been a mess. But it's fun watching and posting again.

I was skeptical when they first cast EM as Brady. I liked Kyle Lowder and Martsolf was a pretty boy. Also I didn't have much interest in Brady once "Broe" fizzled out. Making him an addict gave him an edge and pairing him with Kristen was combustible. She became his addiction/mirror and he became a DILF. I've loved Martsolf ever since. I have to say seeing Eileen in this cemented that Stacy is "my" Kristen. I love Eileen, I think she's great, but for me the character has evolved. Stacy gives her depth and the perfect mix of diagnosable personality disorder, tragic anti-heroine and batshit crazy. Her chemistry with Martsolf is off the charts and her Kristen is most viable as a long-term, usable character on the show. I love Eileen but I feel the same about 'OG Kristen' as I do about my 9th grade boyfriend: fun in it's time but I've outgrown it. Also, no one is asking for John and Kristen.

Did anyone think some of the establishing shots were weird? In some Salem looked like a quaint little village, in some they looked like my old neighborhood on 6th street and in others it looked like a metropolis.

😆😆😆 I think they did that in the Carrie and Rafe days.

I assume you mean for Ron. I always thought porn was cheesy, I just know Carlivati's weakness.